Process of treating grain.



E. W. HOOKER.

PROCESS OF TREATING GRAIN.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.10, 1911,

1 86431 1 Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE,

nDwAnn w. HOOKER, on ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, nssrenon 0F ONE-HALF T0 RICHARD H.,K.AS'IOR, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

PROCESS OF'TREKTING GRAIN.

Specification-of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 20, 1912.

Application filed October 10, 1 81 1. Serial No; 653,989.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD W. HOOKER, a citizen of the United States, andresident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Proc-' esses of Treating Grain, of which vthe following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof My invention relates to a process of treating grain for the purpose of destroying larvae, weevil, or other insects and'their germs, and it is especially applicable-to rolled oats, rice, and the like.

It is well known that rolled oats, rice, and like substances are very frequently ruined for food purposes on account of insect germs which develop into larvae, weevil and other insects. I

It is the object of my invention to treat such substances, before packing, for the purpose of destroying the insect germ, larvae and the weevil or insect developed therefrom.

The essential characteristic of'my process is to subject the rolled oats-or 1'ice,or whatever substance is to betreated, before .pack- .ing, to the action of a germicidal agent in the form of vapor or gas, and after the substance has been subjected to the action of this germicidal agent, to eliminate the mechanically held germicidal agent by a blast of hot air impregnated with a-re'agent.

The agent WhlCl'l I preferably employ to destroy the germ, larvae, Weevil, or other insect, is the vapor of formaldehyde, and to dispel or eliminate any 'of the formaldeh do which may be mechanically held, I sub ect the rolled oats, rice or other substances treated to the action of a blast ofhot air impregnated with ammonia fumes or'va or.

In order that my process may ereadily understood, I refer to the accompanying drawing, which represents in vertical section a conventional form of apparatus, by means of which my process may be carried out.

The apparatus consists of a chamber or container, such as 1, which carries a feed hopper 2 in which the rolled oats, rice, or substance to be treated, is placed. The material is fed from this hopper 2 by means of a wheel or paddle 3, which discharges the material in measured quantities onto a shelf or ledge 4, which is positionedabove a Vi- The' material or substance treated passes from the vibrating screen 5 into a chamber 8, and from this chamber'the material is fed by means of a rotating paddle or wheel 9. The lower portion of the chamber '8 beneath the rotating paddle or wheel 9 has a blast pipe or nozzlelO for discharging a blast of hot air into said chamber. The blast pipe or nozzle 10 is securedto an air heating chamber 11 in which the air may be heated to the required temperature by means of a burner 12, p

13 indicates an ammonia container, which has secured to it a discharge pipe 14 and a controlling valve 15. The ammonia is fed of the valve 15.

16 indicates a fan blower for supplying air to the chamber 11, and theair is supplied from this fan blower 16 to the pipe connection 17 which discharges into the chamber 11. The air in passing through the chamber 11 isheated to the required temperature, and is forced out of the chamber 11 through the pipe or nozzle 10 by means of the fan blower 16, v

The material, after having been treated with vapors of formaldehyde, is subjected to a hot air blast from the pipe or nozzle 10, which blast of hot air, it is believed, will eliminate any of the formaldehyde vapor which is mechanically held b the substance, or the blast of hot air may be impregnated with ammonia vapor,. wh1ch acts as a reagent and eliminates any odor that might be present. The agent employed should be one that kills or destroys the insect egg or cell, thus preventing it from developing into larvae or other insects, and it should be one that destroys the larvae or insect itself without'entering into any chemical combination or union with the substance treated. The formaldehyde fumes or vapors, it is believed, will destroy not only the insect or larvae germ, that is, the egg or germ cell,

.but should there be any larvae or insect present onthe substance treated, it will likewise destroy them, and will not, it is believed, enter into any chemical combination or union with the rolled oats, rice or-like substance, and should any of the vapor or fumes be mechanically held by the substance treated, it is entirely removed by subjecting the substance to the action of a blast of hot air of a temperature not to affect the chemical constituents of the substance, or a blast of hot air may be employed impregnated with ammonia fumes or vapor.

In practice I may employ any form of apparatus for carrying out my process, and in an application executed by me on October 10, 1911, and serially numbered 653,938, I have claimed an apparatus for such purpose. I

I claim:

1. The process of treating rolled oats, rice, and like substances, which consists in subjecting them to the action of a gaseous germicidal agent and then subjecting them to the action of a blast comprising hot air.

2. The rocess of treating rolled oats, rice, and like substances, which consists in subjecting them to the action of a gaseous germicidal agent and then subjecting them to the action of-a blast of hot air impregnated with ammonia fumes.

3. The process of treatin rolled oats,

rice, and like substances, WhlCh consists in sub'ecting them to the action of the vapors of ormaldehyde and then to the action of a blast comprising hot air.

4. The recess of treating rolled oats, rice, and like substances, which consists in subjecting them to the action of the vapors of formaldehyde and then to the action of a blast of hot air impregnated with the fumes of ammonia.

5. The process of treating cereals for the I purpose of destroying insects and insect germs, which consists in subjecting the cereal while in motion to the action of a germicidal agent and then to the action of a blast comprising hot air for eliminating from the cereal all traces of the germicidal agent.

6. The process of treating cereals for the purpose of destroying insects and insect germs, which consists in subjecting the cereal while in motion to the action of a germicidal agent and then to the action of a blast of hot air impregnated with ammonia fumes for eliminating from the cereal all traces of the germicidal agent.

7. The process of treating cereals for destroying insects, or their germs thereon, which consists .in first subjecting the cereal to the action of gaseous formaldehyde and then subjecting the cereal thus treated to the action of a blast comprising hot air.

In testimony-whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD W. HOOKER.

Witnesses:

E. L. WALLACE, EDWARD E. LoNeAN. 

